Inside Kindergarten
by Red Berin
Summary: Rose, Garnet, and Pearl take it upon themselves to stop a Kindergarten operation.


The canyon was unsuspecting. No one would be able to find its location unless they knew exactly where it was. It was a dreary place. Hardly any light reached the ground. Instead, the menacing technology lit the canyon. Each towering machine had a red gem on top that illuminated the surrounding rock faces. The machines made loud noises as they drilled, the sound amplified by the close quarters. Thousands of holes created by the machines littered either side of the canyon.

Three gems stood at the top of the canyon looking into the project. Each grimaced at the work below them. "I'm sorry to bring you both back to this horrible place," Rose's voice was soft.

"No, it's okay. We came here to shut this place down," Pearl said.

Garnet nodded. "Rose, you lead the way."

"Right. Then let's get this over with." Rose scanned the ground below for any gems that might be on guard duty. "Will those robots attack us?"

"It's a possibility," Pearl replied. "But I can't say for sure. We should be prepared for the worst."

Rose stepped off of the cliff face and slowly drifted downwards. Pearl and Garnet began climbing down after her. They reached the bottom of the canyon in a matter of minutes. As Rose's feet touched the ground first, one of the nearby machines made a whirring sound and spun to face the gems. Garnet rushed forward and caught one of the machine's legs between her gauntlets. She planted her feet, swiveling her upper body to smash the machine into the side of the canyon.

Several machines turned toward the disruption. "We need to move!" Garnet said. She Rose and Pearl's hands and pulled them through the tangled mass of machines. One stepped directly in their path, its gem sparkling. It fired a beam of some sort at the gems. Garnet and Pearl closed their eyes, hoping to prepare for the impact, but it never hit. They looked up to find themselves safely enclosed in a pink bubble.

"That was close," Rose said, smiling at her companions. "But how are we going to get through this mess?"

"If we can get to the operation's base, we'll be able to shut down all of the machines from there," Pearl said.

The machine stopped firing its beam when it registered no damage to the pink bubble. It began to strike the bubble with one of its legs. The other machines followed suit. The three gems had a quick conference to decide their next plan of action. They all came to an agreement in a matter of seconds.

In one motion, Rose drew her sword and retracted her bubble. She swung her sword at the machine directly in front of them, severing its metallic legs. Garnet lunged to the side, grabbed the nearest machine, and threw it with enough force to knock over another one. Another machine approached from behind, but Pearl was ready. She launched into the air and landed on top of it, stabbing her spear through the machine's red gem. As she kicked away from it, the machine sparked a few times before falling to the ground.

Rose admired their work. "Good," she said. "Let's move before more show up."

"It's best to move quietly," Pearl said, glancing around at the canyon's holes. "There are probably sleeping gems in these walls. We don't want to wake them up."

"They somehow slept through all the noise we made already," Rose said, gesturing to the destroyed machines. "I don't think we have to be too quiet."

Pearl looked back at the machines and felt her face grow warm. "I guess so. Those other machines will probably activate if we get close to them, though. They're most likely motion sensitive. We need to find the entrance to the control room. I have no doubt that it will be heavily guarded by other gems, but if we find it, we could shut this Kindergarten operation down. The entrance will probably be somewhere underground."

"Let's get looking then." Garnet walked ahead and began scanning the ground. Rose followed suit, but Pearl took a moment to look nervously around at the dormant machines. The first group that had attacked wasn't difficult to handle, but she wasn't sure what would happen if all of the machines activated at once. If they were motion activated like she assumed, fighting more of them seemed very likely. Pearl followed the other two gems, holding her spear close to her chest.

While Rose and Garnet studied the ground, Pearl kept a close eye on the looming machines. She stared at the closest one and gripped her spear tighter, expecting the machine to come to life at any moment. As soon as it did start to move, she leaped at it and drove her spear through its gem. The machine lurched backwards and fell to the ground, its thud echoing through the rock walls.

Another machine came to life sometime during Pearl's attack. Before she could respond to its advance, one of its legs swatted her, sending her flying. She hit the ground and slid for a few feet, directly into one of the holes lining the rock face. With a groan, she pressed a hand where the machine had hit her. She heard some kind of scuffle outside and assumed that Garnet and Rose were battling the machines now. Breathing deeply, she opened her eyes only to find someone staring down at her.

"Hey, you woke me up! What are you doing in my hole? You're not supposed to be in here!"

"Wha-?" Pearl trailed off. She blinked a few times in an attempt to register the wide eyes boring into her own. She could hardly see a thing; it was so dark. She could only see the eyes in front of her because their owner's face was nearly touching hers.

"Did you come to take me out of here? Am I done growing? I thought I'd be in here a lot longer."

Someone outside called her name. It sounded like Rose.

"Um, I have to go back out there," Pearl said as she tried to push herself off the ground. The hole was too low for her to stand in, so she managed to pull herself up into a crouch. She was about to crawl back into the chaos, but she stopped to say, "You should probably stay in here. Things are a mess out there."

"No fair! You wake me up and then tell me I have to stay in here?"

A bright red flash temporarily blinded Pearl. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared and a deafening crash followed it. "It's not safe outside. Please, just – just stay in here."

After feeling her way outside, Pearl stood straight and assessed the damage. A few more machines had fallen to Rose and Garnet. The two were now working together to bring down a machine further away. Pearl sprinted toward them and helped them fell the device.

"Pearl! What happened? Are you alright?" Rose rushed to Pearl's side and checked for damage.

"I'm fine, but I woke up one of the gems. I highly doubt she'll listen and stay inside."

"I'm surprised we haven't woken up more of these gems with the noise we're making," Rose said with a smile.

"Rose, Pearl."

Garnet's sharp tone caught their attention. Rose and Pearl turned to Garnet only to find her looking at something else. They followed her gaze to spot a gem. The gem's frame was hulking and her bulky arms swung with each step she took. Her skin was a deep red accented by some lighter red streaks across her arms. She pushed her long hair from her shoulders; it was white with a tinge of pink. She had a gem in place of her nose. As she got closer, the Crystal Gems could see that it was a bright red.

"That must be one of the new Jaspers they've been creating," Rose muttered. "Be on your guard, Gems."

This Jasper didn't seem to have any weapons ready, but the Crystal Gems held theirs up. The approaching gem laughed. She stopped a few feet in front of them. "Rose Quartz, it's a pleasure to meet you. Homeworld's told me all about your supposed little scheme to close down Kindergarten. I wasn't expecting you so soon.

"What Homeworld is doing to this planet is wrong. I cannot stand idly by and let them use Earth's land for the creation of gem weapons that are to destroy the very planet where they were made!" Rose's voice rose in anger as she spoke.

"This planet only exists still because you blatantly disobeyed orders. It will be my absolute pleasure to bring you to justice!"

The Crystal Gems jumped back as this red Jasper pulled something from her uniform. They expected some kind of weapon, but it looked like she was holding a small box of some sort.

Jasper smiled at the gems. "You picked a very special day to come to Kindergarten! Homeworld's picked today as the date to wake every gem here from their sleep. What better way for them to celebrate than by destroying the Crystal Gems?"

Images of terror flashed through Rose's mind. Jasper was about to awaken each and every gem in the canyon. There had to be hundreds of them, maybe even close to a thousand. She didn't know how much they had expanded Kindergarten since she was here last, but there was no question that it had grown. She couldn't remember why she thought shutting down the operation was a good idea, especially not with Jasper's menacing look directed at her. A feeling of immense guilt overwhelmed her. She had inadvertently sentenced Pearl and Garnet to death by bringing them here.

The gems stood on either side of her, braced for battle. They'd do anything she asked of them, anything except run, of course.

Jasper's free hand lowered toward the device she held. She was about to press it when something stopped her.

A small gem tugged at Jasper's uniform. The gem had purple skin and pale purple hair that draped over her shoulders. "Is it time to play? That gem over there woke me up, but no one else is awake yet," the gem said, pointing at Pearl.

Garnet was the first to move. She charged at Jasper and knocked into the red gem. They both fell to the ground.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Jasper's voice was magnified in the enclosed space.

The small gem gave a squeal of delight. "Playtime!" she yelled, pouncing on top of Jasper.

The box Jasper had held dropped sometime during the offensive. Pearl was already moving towards it. When she was close enough, she crouched, reached for it, and felt it safely in her hand. She observed that it was some kind of remote control.

A roar was the only warning she had. A force like a train slammed into her and sent her skidding. She didn't have any time to recover before a vice-like grip seized her wrist. Jasper yanked her into the air and tried to pull the control from her hand. When Pearl didn't relinquish the device, Jasper strengthened her grip until the trapped gem had to drop the prize.

"Thanks," Jasper grinned. She swung Pearl through the air, slamming her into Garnet. Jasper's victory was short-lived, though. Rose had managed to get behind the red gem. She smashed her pink shield into Jasper's head, leaving the enemy reeling. Jasper dropped the control. Her hand reached for it, but Rose instantly had it beneath her foot. She stomped on it and felt the device shatter.

Seizing the opportunity, Garnet rushed at Jasper. She wrapped her arms around Jasper's arms and locked her hands behind the red gem's head. Jasper struggled to free herself, but soon stopped. Instead, her mouth dropped open and she stared, dumbstruck.

The source of Jasper's shock came from the gems that were now stepping out of their holes. Gems high in the canyon walls effortlessly climbed down to stand on the ground. In just a few moments, all of the gems stood motionless, waiting for something.

Jasper let out a crazed laugh. "Gems of Kindergarten!" she shouted in address, "Welcome to your new life dedicated to serving Homeworld! I am your commander, and you will listen to everything that I say. Now, your first mission for your planet is to destroy the Crystal Gems!"

Garnet released Jasper and took a step back toward Rose and Pearl. The three gems surveyed the area with dread in their hearts.

The Kindergarten gems simultaneously looked at Jasper. Every gem in the canyon was still. The silence was broken by an eruption of screams and violence, but nothing went for the Crystal Gems.

Rose was the first to speak, "They're attacking each other!"

A nearby gem threw another gem into one of the holes. It then faced the Crystal Gems and lunged at Garnet. She grabbed the gem's arm and held her at a safe distance. "No, they're attacking everything they can find in here. We need to leave!" Garnet flung the gem away from her and into another gem.

"You're not going anywhere!" Jasper had recovered from her surprise and was squaring off against the Crystal Gems. "Homeworld will hail me as a hero for destroying you three. I plan to do just that."

"We don't have time for this!" Garnet shouted. "Homeworld can't call you a hero if you die here!"

A shrieking wail caught the arguing gems' attention. The small purple gem had caught up with Jasper and was now tugging at her pants again. She looked up at the menacing gem with tears streaming down her face. "What's happening?" she yelled. "Why is everyone fighting?"

Something snapped inside Jasper. "You," she snarled. "You did this. If you hadn't distracted me in the first place, the Crystal Gems would be dead and I'd be the commander of Kindergarten. This is your fault!" She hoisted the little gem up by the nape of her neck.

Rose, Garnet, and Pearl watched, horrified, as Jasper raised the purple gem high above her head. "Why aren't you attacking like the rest of these gems? I have no use for an underdeveloped, puny gem!" Before the Crystal Gems could act, Jasper smashed the purple gem facedown onto the canyon floor.

There was a brief pause from either side. Jasper waited to see what her opponents would do while the Crystal Gems tried to register what happened. The purple gem didn't seem to be moving.

Crying out, Rose suddenly sprang forward and slashed at Jasper with her sword. The two locked into a battle with Rose swinging furiously and Jasper barely dodging her attacks. Pearl was mesmerized at first, but she remembered the hurt gem. She crouched beside the small gem and carefully turned her on her back. Pulling down the front of the gem's shirt revealed a cracked amethyst.

"Garnet . . ." Pearl looked up to the gem towering over her shoulder.

"Carry her. We need to get out."

Pearl hoisted Amethyst into her arms and held her close to her chest. She whispered to the unconscious gem, "Don't worry, Rose can heal you."

"Wait here," Garnet commanded. She spotted Jasper and Rose now mixed in with the other fighting gems. She called for Rose and the pink gem was at her side in a few short seconds. "It's time to leave, Rose."

Rose noticed Amethyst in Pearl's arms. "Here," she said, ripping off strips of her dress. "This should help." She held Amethyst up to Pearl's back and wrapped the strips around the two gems. When she was finished, the purple gem was secured to Pearl's back.

Garnet surveyed the fighting gems. "Let's go," she said once she was sure they were too distracted to notice the Crystal Gems' escape.

The three began climbing the nearest wall. They had only gone a few yards up when they heard a deafening screech.

"NO! YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE ME!"

The throng of fighting gems parted as Jasper launched herself at the wall. She reached out her arm, desperate to destroy the escaping gems. Garnet leaped from the wall and smashed one of her gauntlets into Jasper's face. Jasper fell flat on her face and Garnet landed in a crouch beside her. "I'm giving you the opportunity to get out of here with your life. It's up to you to take it," Garnet said.

With a grimace Jasper lifted her head from the ground. She glowered at Garnet before she jumped to her feet and lunged forward. Garnet stopped her fist and held it in her gauntlet. "Fine," she said. "I gave you the chance." She punched Jasper hard enough to send the red gem flying. As Garnet planned, Jasper landed back in the midst of the fighting gems.

The Crystal Gems climbed out of the canyon. They could still hear Jasper's shouts even as they moved away from Kindergarten. It was quite a distance to return to their warp pad, so they had a long way to walk.

Pearl waited until they were far enough away from the canyon before she said, "Rose, could you take a look at this Amethyst? Jasper cracked her gem and I would help if I could, but I can't do anything and you're –"

"Slow down, Pearl. Of course I'll look at her." Rose lifted Amethyst off of Pearl's back and cradled the gem in her arms. She checked the gem on Amethyst's chest and gave a deep sigh. "How could she just do this to you? That gem has no regard for life whatsoever. That's probably why Homeworld put her in charge of Kindergarten, isn't it? I'm so sorry you had to go through that, little Amethyst."

Tears welled up in Rose's eyes. She sniffed a couple times. Her face scrunched up in her sorrow for the broken gem and the tears flowed down her cheeks. She pressed her face to the purple gem, leaving it there for several long moments. When she lifted her head up, the gem was whole again.

"Oh, thank you, Rose, I was so worried," Pearl said, looking over the small gem's body.

Amethyst was fast asleep still snuggled in Rose's arms. Rose chuckled, "We'll raise you to care for this world, just as we do, Amethyst. You are a Crystal Gem."


End file.
